The Martial Arts Club
by kiyamiru
Summary: [AU] Aoshi is hired to take care of a family when the eldest sister goes off to med school. Long-kept secrets unfold and soon, he, Misao, Kaoru, and Yahiko are learning secrets about the town and themselves they wish they never knew.


The Martial Arts Club

By Kiyamiru

AN: I have no idea why I wrote this. I originally wanted to write an A/M fic, but I felt the need to write about all the other RK characters as well. Re-reading this, I think I was depressed when I wrote the first part. I'm not exactly sure what category to put this story in; any help would be appreciated.

Please review, b/c I don't know if I should continue this story or where exactly I want to go with it.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Hope you enjoy the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin characters and claim no right to. This is fanfiction.

**Prologue **

BANG! CLACK! BANG! CLACK! CLACK! Huff huff! CLACK CLACK CLACK! CLACK CLACK CLACK!

"Kaoru! Misao! Stop that noise and drop those wooden sticks at once!" A woman's voice rang loudly from the top of the flight of golden stairs. The two girls dropped the wooden sticks they were playing with onto the marble floor, creating a reverberating echo in the enormous living room.

"Aww… Megumi!" Misao pouted, fidgeting with her long braid. "Why can't we play with them? We aren't hurting each other! I mean, seriously, what's wrong with martial arts anyway? Shouldn't we know how to defend ourselves?"

Megumi rushed down the flight of stairs and ushered the girls into another room. "It's because…" She paused, rethought her words, and finished her sentence. "…it is unbecoming of a young lady to play with wooden sticks." She finally told them.__

"But sister…" Kaoru pleaded. "We didn't mean any harm. We just wanted to have fun."

The older woman examined her two sisters, one glaring at her with angry eyes because she had ended the fun, the other pleading for permission to continue. She sighed, exasperated. "Ah, I don't know what to do with the two of you! How can I go off to HT Medical School tomorrow knowing that the two of you are still playing with toys? How can I trust that you guys won't kill yourselves while I'm gone?"

"Megumi, we ARE old enough to take care of ourselves." Misao pointed out. "Look, I'm sixteen, and Kaoru is eighteen. We can manage. Seriously."

"How can I believe you two? Why, it was only last year that you two put ketchup all over the closet, trying to think someone was murdered in there. Then, you two mixed up the…" Megumi continued on and on with her list of what the disastrous duo of sisters had done within the past year. Kaoru and Misao sighed. _Not again._ If they were lucky, Megumi would finish her lecture in about and hour. Trying to stifle a yawn, Misao looked away and covered her mouth. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the backdoor to the garden open slightly and a familiar figure with spiky hair sneak in, a young boy following close behind. _Sneaking in, are we?_ She thought. Without a second thought, Misao reached in her pocket for her kunai and hurled them towards the door. They embedded themselves nicely into the glass around the tall intruder's head. Distracted by Misao's sudden movements, Megumi paused for a second to see who or what exactly Misao threw her kunai at. Upon recognizing the visitors, her annoyance and anxiety increased and she immediately began to shout invectives towards the two newcomers.

"Well, Sagara Sanosuke! Why are you sneaking in this time? To steal some of the food from the fridge, no doubt. You freeloading bum! Just because you and Yahiko are best friends doesn't mean you can take advantage of OUR fridge!! Go get a job and earn your own food! And you! Yahiko! You're supposed to be studying upstairs for your entrance exam, not playing around all day! Argh!" Megumi grabbed the sides of her head and screamed, frustrated more than ever.

"Oi…" Sano said, trying to get Megumi's attention. She continued to scream her head off. "Oi… oi… OI… OI!!!" Nothing could get Megumi out of her trance-like screaming fest. Turning to Yahiko, he whispered, "Is it her time of the month?"

"Who knows?" Yahiko shrugged. "Lately she's been getting worked up over every little thing. Maybe it's because she's going off to medical school and can't take care of the three of us, even though we can manage on our own."

Sano messed up Yahiko's hair. "Haha… it's nice to have such an overprotective sister, don't you think so?"

"NICE?" Yahiko looked at Sano as if he were crazy. "Overprotective sister Megumi equals NO FUN WHATSOEVER. Dude, she acts as if she were trying to take the place of our dead mother and older sister. Ha, as if she could ever _ever_ do that!" BANG! A wooden stick had made hard contact with Yahiko's head. "Owww… what the… what the heck?" He turned around to face his usually peaceful sister, who was now angry. "Kaoru! What was that for?!!"

"YOU INGRATE!" She screamed. Everyone, including the screaming Megumi, stopped and stared. "How dare you think of your eldest sister Megumi in such a way! After mother died giving birth to you, she slaved and worked hard to raise Misao, you, and me in the best way she could, and this is what she gets? After Tomoe's death, she tried even harder to be there for the three of us. She sacrificed so much just to be there for us, and you repay her with this… this… inconsiderate attitude of yours!!"

"Kaoru… calm down…" Megumi said softly. Kaoru looked at her sister through teary eyes. "That's enough. I think Yahiko gets the point." Kaoru looked back at her little brother, who was on the brink of tears.

Yahiko tried not to cry. He knew it was not cool to cry, especially in front of girls, even if they were family. "Ju… just because… mom and Tomoe are dead doesn't mean she has to work so hard to fill in the gaps. I mean, we do have Dad…"

"A dad who is never home because he can't face reality is not a father to me!" Kaoru screamed. "Dad has done NOTHING deserving of his title as our father!"

"If only mother were here…" Yahiko began.

"If only… if only… if only you hadn't been born!!!" Kaoru cried. She ran out the door and up the stairs, and slammed the door loudly. Sorrowful cries and sobs could faintly be heard.

SLAM! The backdoor to the garden slammed shut as Yahiko ran out of the house, tears about to fall. The remaining three people collectively sighed.

Misao arched her back and stretched. "Another typical day in the Kamiya household."

Sano raised an eyebrow and looked questioningly at the short girl beside him. "This is a typical day? Girls screaming, boys crying, everyone shutting themselves away?"

"Yep."

"So, how does your dad react to this?"

"He doesn't. When he's home, he just locks himself up in his room."

"Well, at least you guys have a dad."

"Sure, he sends us money, we're rich, but as a family, are we happy? A dead mother, a murdered sister, an almost non-existent father, and a sister who has had to carry on the burden of raising a family." Misao sighed. "We're pretty lucky, meaning we can afford anything we want, eat whatever we want, but family-wise, we're pretty dysfunctional."

Megumi sighed and slumped into her chair. "Gosh, I don't know what to do. Our family has been growing further and further apart every day."

Misao went and comforted her sister. "It's okay. We'll all pull out in the end. I know it's been hard for you, especially after Tomoe's incident, but hey, we still pulled through and we still have hope." Megumi soon hugged Misao and sobbed. Misao looked up at Sano. "Sorry you had to see all this. I think you should go now."

"Aa" was all Sano could say as he left through the backdoor, his hunger completely forgotten.

Misao tried her best to comfort her sister, but nothing seemed to be able to stop the "What should I do? What should I do?" chant Megumi had begun. Then, out of nowhere, Megumi sprang up and stood tall, eyes glowing with happiness and determination. "What's wrong?" Misao asked, puzzled.

"I HAVE A SOLUTION!!!" Megumi declared. She turned to Misao. "I'm going to hire someone to take care of you guys while I'm gone!!"

"Wha…"

Without a second thought, Megumi grabbed her purse, slipped on her shoes, and stormed out the door. For what seemed to be the hundredth time, Misao sighed. It was not the first time Megumi had a bright idea on the spur of the moment, all though the good ideas were few and far between. Lying back on the couch, she drifted into a deep sleep, hoping that nightmares of her dead mother and sister would not come.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"Are you kidding me?" A young man looked skeptically at the woman before him. "Me, babysitting YOUR siblings?"

"Please, Aoshi-san." Megumi tried to convince him. "I'm leaving tomorrow and you were the only person I could think of that I could depend on. After all, you already know my sisters and brothers, so it won't be like doing something for strangers or anything."

Aoshi stood up and walked to his desk. Moving some papers, he found his calendar. "Well, sorry, Megumi-san. I'm afraid that I'll have to pass on this request. Now if you'll excuse me." He stood up and began walking to his room.

"Ice boy, I wasn't requesting that you take care of my siblings voluntarily. I was offering you a job. A well paying job I might add." Aoshi stopped midstep. "And I know," Megumi said, grinning, "that you and that restaurant the Aoiya NEED the money." Knowing that she had gotten his attention, Megumi continued. "All you have to do is live in the Kamiya Mansion and make sure Kaoru, Misao, and Yahiko don't get hurt or kill each other. I know you're going to be a high school senior just like Kaoru, so I thought it would be more convenient in watching her and Misao since you go to their school anyways. Yahiko's school is just next door, and…"

"Stop telling me things I already know, Doctor-to-be." Emotionless, Aoshi returned to his desk and looked at his calendar. "How much?" Megumi scribbled some numbers on a post-it note and handed it to Aoshi. After glancing at the piece of paper, Aoshi crumpled it and deftly tossed it into a trash bin. Seeing this as a sign that he rejected her offer, Megumi started to leave. But just as she was about to leave, she heard a question, loud and clear. "When do I start?" Smiling to herself, she replied,

"You start today. Pack your things and meet me at the Kamiya Mansion at five in the afternoon. Don't be late."

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"Yahiko!" Sano shouted to the tree house in the backyard. A young boy with swollen eyes poked his head out.

"Go away, Sano!" He shouted, slinking further into his tree house shelter. He crouched in a corner and hugged his knees, his head bowed. _Sorry, Sano, but I need to be alone. I hate this!! That stupid Kaoru! STUPID STUPID!! What IF I hadn't been born, huh? Would they have been happy? Maybe it would have been better if I had never been born. Maybe it… _His negative thoughts were suddenly stopped by the sound of someone landing on the wooden boards. Yahiko looked up to see Sano smiling down at him. [Eeek!!!] "No, go away!" Sano began walking towards him. Panicking, Yahiko backed himself further against the wall. "I don't want to talk to anyone! I said, go away!" Sano stood in front of Yahiko now. He wrapped the boy in his arms and hugged him.

"Your sister didn't mean it, kiddo. She loves you very much."

"I know I know! Don't tell me anymore!" Then, once again, Yahiko began to cry felt fresh tears coming into his eyes. _I'm fourteen, dangit! I can't cry, I won't cry. No… _Sano didn't know what to do. All he could do was hug the boy, hoping he would stop crying soon.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Megumi returned home with a smug grin on her face. Now she wouldn't have to worry about her crazy family anymore while she was away studying to become a doctor. What a relief. Ever since her mother had passed away giving birth to Yahiko, Megumi had always felt that she was in charge of her younger siblings, even while her older sister Tomoe was still alive. Anything that happened to Misao, Kaoru, or Yahiko, she would take the blame. Of course, her father never knew about this. All he cared about was his work and staying away from the constant reminders of his wife: his children. Of course, he had to do the fatherly thing, according to the law, which was to provide for them and he had interpreted it as sending them large sums of money for food, education, and anything else they would need. _He doesn't even know us other than our names and faces_, Megumi thought.

As she studied the mansion she called home, she noticed something was amiss. The dishes had not been washed. The shoes had not been put away properly. The carpet had not been vacuumed. The fireplace had not been dusted. The trash had not been taken out. The windows had not been washed with Windex. In short, according to Megumi's high standards, the mansion was a mess.

"KKKAAAAOOORUUU!!! MMMMIIIIIISSSSAAAAOOOO!!!! YAAAHHHIIIKKOOO!!!" Kaoru's head instantly perked up, her sorrow forgotten. Misao instantly sat up from her nap. Yahiko froze, hearing his name being called from the house. Everything they were thinking about was forgotten as soon as they heard their names. From the tone of Megumi's voice, all three of them knew that they were in trouble. "I want EVERYONE in the living room! NOW!"

All three victims rushed into the living room and sat on the couch in order: Kaoru, Misao, and then Yahiko. All three had terrified looks upon their faces, and all three knew what was going to happen next. Like a drill sergeant, Megumi looked at them, examined their terrified faces, and paced in front of them back and forth. "All right," she began, her voice taking a serious tone. "I know you all know what I am going to say, and today I'll spare you the lecture of why we must do our chores." All three collectively sighed. "Instead," They stopped sighing. "I will tell you what I have been doing all morning." Kaoru and Yahiko looked on with eager faces. Misao just leaned back on the couch, pretty sure Megumi was going to explain her "bright idea" to the three of them. She was right. "As you all know, I will be going off to Medical School tomorrow." The three nod their heads in unison. "You also know that I will be dreadfully worried that the three of you will do something incredibly stupid and kill yourselves." Silence. "Anyways, I decided that, for your safety, I would hire someone to take care of the three of you while I am away." More silence. "Well, guys, what do you think?"

"So basically, we're getting a maid." Yahiko stated. "Which means… no more chores?"

"No, I did not say that we were getting a maid. I just hired someone to take care of the three of you and this person will be coming in the afternoon at five." Megumi was in no mood to hear complaints for the moment. "Now that I have told you the good news…" The three leaned in to hear what Megumi was going to say. "… GO DO YOUR CHORES!!! NOW!!!" Ouch. Instantly, the three young people were off the couch and in action. Kaoru rushed to the kitchen to clean the dishes, wash the windows with Windex, and mop the floor. Misao rushed to the closet and plugged in the vacuum, vacuuming the carpet furiously while dusting the fireplace. (Men, it's called multi-tasking.) Yahiko zipped through every room, emptying the trash bins and disposing of the trash in the back. When Sano came back into the house, he saw Megumi sipping a cup of tea while the rest of the family was furiously… cleaning.

_Why don't they just hire a maid to do all that? _Sano thought._ They have enough money. _He shrugged. _What a strange family._

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Old man Okina found Aoshi packing everything of value in his small apartment. _Hm.. What's going on?_ Aoshi, who could sense the old man's presence the moment he climbed up the creaking stairs, knew Okina would ask what he was doing. "I got a job and I have to live where I work." Aoshi stated with his deep, monotonous voice.

"A job?" Okina knew the Aoiya needed money, but he hadn't expected Aoshi to get an outside job to support the restaurant. Besides, Aoshi was not the type to give up and find help elsewhere. He would rather keep the burden on himself and carry the restaurant through. To Okina, this was certainly a strange turn of events. Out of curiosity, he asked, "What's going on in this job? Where are you living?"

"None of your business." was Aoshi's cold reply.

"Aoshi, ever since I took you in as my grandson when you were twelve, you became part of my business. I deserve the right to know." Okina waited, knowing he was right and Aoshi would answer him.

"I am taking care of the Kamiya family while Megumi Kamiya is in medical school. I will be living at the Kamiya Mansion. The pay is very good, so I'll be sending some back to the Aoiya to support everyone." Probably the most words he had ever said in one shot, Aoshi clamped back up and let the silence take over.

Okina couldn't help but laugh. "Uh, Aoshi… you're going to… BABYSIT?!!" Immediately, the picture of Aoshi in a pink apron and a feather duster came into his mind, and Okina burst into laughter. Aoshi just looked on, and one could tell not by his face but by his eyes that he was really annoyed with the old man.

"Where are you off to?" Someone asked from the door. _Damn,_ Aoshi thought,_ Okina's laughter has brought the whole Aoiya to my door._ He looked and saw Shiro, Kuro, Omasu, and Okon at his door.

"Aoshi… haha… has… a… new… haha… job… haha… babysitting!!" Okina answered their question between laughs.

"EEEEEHHHHH?!!!!" Aoshi found their prolonged "Eh?" as the cue to leave. He silently strode past the shocked Aoiya-ers and out the door, slamming his apartment door behind them. He glanced at his watch. 4:00pm. _Hm… enough time to stop by the Akabeko for some tea._ He thought. Getting into his black sports car, Aoshi left the apartment complex parking lot and headed to his favorite restaurant for some green tea.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Kaoru, Misao, and Yahiko rushed to finish their chores. If they did not, who knew what Megumi would do to them… and their skins. According to Kaoru, Megumi had a sharp dissecting kit in her room. Of course, the kit was used in Megumi's labs in her road toward becoming a doctor. Nevertheless, the three knew better, and the threat of the dissecting kit hovered in the back of their minds.

But what was really on the three minds was the unknown identity of their future "maid." As soon as Megumi had said it, the three of them knew that it had to be someone the family knew. Megumi would never hire a stranger to take care of her family. Furthermore, this new caretaker had to be someone Megumi could trust. Now, whom could Megumi trust? That is a very good question. Of course, Kaoru had her suspicions since she was the closest to Megumi, but both Misao and Yahiko were in the dark as to who this new person could be.

Many people ran through Kaoru's head as she tried to guess the identity of the one who was coming at five. _Hm… it can't be Sano. She hates his guts, or so it seems. Yumi? No, that tramp betrayed Megumi last July. Oo! How about that.. um, what was his name? Takeda Kanryu. Nonono! She wouldn't trust that creep with us! None of her college friends are sticking around. So, whom did she hire? That person must have needed money. I mean, who would actually take a job like this with less than 24-hour notice unless he or she really needed the money…? Wait. The Aoiya needs money. No, it can't be… she wouldn't! Megumi wouldn't leave HIM in charge of us, would she? She can't! Nono! Not him! Why, he's… _Kaoru's thoughts were interrupted as she felt her feet soaked in something wet and realized that she had flooded the kitchen floor in her daydreaming. Kaoru hurried to fix her mess.

Misao and Yahiko worked together to fix up the living room to Megumi's liking. Both had mixed feelings about Megumi's new plan. They were excited about the identity of this person, but they were fearful of it at the same time. Megumi's last bright plan had resulted in $2,043,000 worth of damage to the house. Hopefully, this plan would not be as… um… costly as the last one.

Misao hoped that the new person would be likeable and hopefully would know some martial arts so that she could learn a style or than the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu her sister had been trying to teach her. She thought the KKR was not very effective, and she much preferred her kunai over some wooden sword or something. Nevertheless, Misao awaited the new person with much excitement. She could feel herself becoming happy and energetic as she thought of what could happen.

Yahiko did not really care about the new person, as long as he or she would leave him alone and let him do what he wanted. After all, he was a teenager and felt that he needed his "space," much desired "space" that Megumi had denied him. That was one of the many things he disliked about his sister, and to have her go off to HT Medical School was definitely something to look forward to.

Walking from room to room, Megumi nodded in approval. The house was definitely presentable now. _Oops, _she thought as something she had forgotten came into her mind. _Which room is Aoshi staying in? Oh well, Misao will have to sleep in my room while I'm gone, then._ After thinking her solution was perfect, Megumi proceeded upstairs to make the necessary arrangements in the rooms.

"Oi, Misao!" Sano shouted, interrupting the short girl's work. "What's going on?"

"Hey, Sano." Misao replied to her best friend. "Megumi hired someone to take care of us while she was at Medical School and she's coming at five. We have to clean up the house before she arrives, or else…"

DING DING DING DONG, DING DING DING DONG! DING DING DING DONG, DING DING DING DONG! The old grandfather clock resounded throughout the house. All motion ceased as everyone waited for the number of gongs. GONG… One. GONG… Two. GONG… Three. GONG… Four. GONG… Five. FIVE?!!! Immediately everyone rushed and finished what they were doing with twice the speed as when they had begun. Even Sano helped clean up. (What possessed him to help, he will never know.)

Within 30 seconds after the clock struck five, the house was clean. In another 5 seconds, the doorbell rang. Everyone gathered downstairs in the living room and waited while Megumi opened the door. There was a moment of silence as everyone looked to see who was at the door.


End file.
